Snap-on hinge



Jan. 3, 1967 A. N. DI ADDARiO 9 SNAP-ON HINGE Filed May 28, 1965 2 SheetsSheet 1 INVENTOR h ALEXA NDER 1v. 013900141210 A ZTOPNEY'S United States Patent 3,295,714 SNAP-0N HINGE Alexander N. Di Addario, Clarence, N.Y., asslgnor to Buffalo Molded Plastics,.lnc., Buffalo, N.Y. Filed May 28, 1965, Ser. No. 459,648 3 Claims. (Cl. 220--31) This invention relates to a molded plastic receptacle and pertains, more particularly, to such a receptacle having a hinged cover member associated therewith.

Plastics, that is polymerized synthetic resinous materials, possess various inherent characteristics which render them particularly suitable for use as containers and, indeed, such materials have found wide usage in the container field. Usually, however, such containers where they are of substantially rigid body type are provided with removable covers or lids whereas it is obvious that hinged- {Y cover containers would be extremely useful it formed of plastic materials. One reason why plastics have not found wide usage as hinged-cover receptacles or containers is that fabrication'techniques normally require separate hinge fastening elements for the cover and hence raise the question of substantial cost not only in fabrication but in assembly. It is, accordingly, a primary objective of the present invention to provide an improved form of hingedcover receptacle for a container constructed of molded plastic material wherein the entirety of the container, inclusive of the hinge elements for the cover, are formed in a single molding operation and wherein the device requires no external or extraneous parts to complete its operative functional characteristics.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a hinged-cover molded plastic container or receptacle wherein the body of the receptacle and the cover are both resilient and wherein the hinge construction is such as to utilize this inherent resiliency of the component parts to permit the cover to be easily assembled to and hingedly connected to the container body.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a hinged-cover plastic receptacle as aforesaid wherein the cover is provided with pintle pin portions and the body of the receptacle is provided with alternate stirrup and saddle portions for hingedly receiving such pintle pin portions in snap-fitted relation therewithin and wherein the alternate stirrup and saddle arrangement partially relieves the snap ears or tabs of the burden of retaining the pintle pins within the respective saddle and stirrup portrons.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will appear from the specification hereinafter and the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a rear elevational view showing a portion of a container constructed in accordance with this invention and illustrating the hinged arrangement between the cover and receptacle body;

FIG. 2 is a :plan View of the assembly shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged transverse section taken substantially along the plane of section line 3-3 in FIG. 2 showing one of the snap ears and a stirrup portion in association with a pintle pin portion;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged section taken substantially along the plane of section line 44 in FIG. 2 showing details of the stirrup construction;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged section taken substantially along the plane of section line 55 in FIG. 2 showing details of a saddle portion;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view taken substantially along the plane of section line 6-6 in FIG. 2 showing one of the boss extensions on the cover member supporting one end of a pintle pin portion;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view taken substantially along "ice the plane of section line 77 in FIG. 2 illustrating one of the snap earsused in association with a saddle portion;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view showing the cover and receptacle rear wall in the region of a pair of the stirrup portions;

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 8 but: showing the saddle portions;

FIGS. 10, 11, 12 and 13 are sequential operational views illustrating the manner in which the cover is snapped-on to the receptacle body; and

FIGS. 14 and 15 are enlarged sectional views, as indicated in section lines 1414 and 15--15 in FIGS. 10 land 13 respectively illustrating the cooperation between the pintle pins and the respective saddle and stirrup portions during assembly.

With reference now more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, the receptacle is indicated generally therein by the reference character 10 and will be seen to consist essentially of a container portion 12 and a cover portion 14. The container may take the form of an open top rectangular body and the cover is complementary thereto to selectively cover the open top of the body. The upper rim 16 of the rear wall of the receptacle is provided substantially centrally thereof with a pair of rearwardly projecting and upwardly facing stirrup portions 18 and 20' and adjacent the opposite ends of the rear wall are provided rearwardly projecting and downwardly facing saddle portions 22 and 24, and 26 and 28. The rear edge of the cover 14, on the other hand, is provided with a pair of centrally disposed pintle pin portions 30 and 32 and, complementary to the saddles 22, 24, 26 and 28, With pintle port-ions 34, 36, 38 and 40 respectively whereby the cover is hingedly interconnected to the receptacle substantially as is shown.

In such an arrangement, it is essential if the component parts are all to be molded integrally with the respective cover and receptacle body portions that the construction be such as to permit the molding operation to be practicably attained while, at the same time, the component parts must be adapted, by this construction, to be readily fitted together in assembled relationship so that the cover is provided with the requisite hinge motion relative to the receptacle body. For this purpose, as can be seen in FIGS. 8, 9 and 10, the two saddle portions or regions of the receptacle body are similarly formed whereas the stirrup portion is provided also with a specific form of construction. As shown, the stirrup region includes a pair of upstanding tabs 42 and 44 which rise above the upper edge 46 of the rear wall of the container and which are provided substantially centrally thereof with the respective stirrup portions 18 and 20 and which are each provided with a pair of snap ears 48 and 59 on opposite sides of the respective stirrup portions 18 and 20. The tabs 42 and 44 are provided with a notch 52 therebetween serving to clear the enlarged boss 54 which supports the inner ends of the pintle pin portions 30 and 32.

Operating in conjunction with the central boss 54 are a pair of complementary bosses 60 and 62 (see FIG. 2) which form, with such central boss 54 notches 64 and 66 at the rear edge of the cover 14 and which extend beyond the rear edge 68 of the cover to position the pintle pins 30 and 32 beyond the outer surface of the rear wall 12 of the receptacle. FIG. 3 illustrates the manner in which the snap cars 48 and 50 cooperate with the stirrup 18 or 20 to hold the component parts in place. As shown in FIG. 3, the stirrup 18 and its complementary snap ears 48 and 50 form an interrupted bearing surface which is substantially circular in total bearing surface area so as to require the pintle pins 30 and 32 to be snapped into, by deformation of their respective stirrups 18 and 20, the. bearing receptacles.

The saddle portions do not require tabs as do the stirrup portions but, instead, rise above the upper edge 46 of the rear wall 12 as can be seen most clearly in FIG. 11. Below each saddle portion 22, 24, 26 and 28 and to either side thereof are a pair of snap cars 70 and 72 which, as can be seen in FIGS. 5 and 7 provide complementary bearing surfaces in the manner previously described in conjunction with the stirrup portions. The cover member is identical ,in its construction of the bosses 60 and 62 and of the central boss 54 as previously described, substantially as is shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.

FIG. 12, for example, illustrates also the recesses 80 and 82 required on either side of each of the stirrup and saddle regions necessary to clear the conical bosses 60 and 62.

With reference now to FIGS. 10-15, the manner of assembling the component parts will be appreciated. As illustrated in FIG. 10 and FIG. 14, the cover member is first bowed upwardly when the same is in upside down relation permitting the pintle pin portions 30 and 32 to be snapped into engagement with their respective stirrup portions 18 and 20. FIG. 14 shows this action and also 'shows the constricted throat 90 formed between each stirrup portion 18 or of its respective locking ears 48 and 50. The completed snapped-in assembly of the central portion is shown in FIG. 11. Next, the rear wall 12 of the receptacle is bowed outwardly or rearwardly substantially as is shown in FIG. 12 and then the cover member is bowed downwardly as illustrated in FIG. 13 whereafter the rear wall 12 and the cover 14 are both permitted to be unbent whereupon the pintle portions are engaged with the saddle portions substantially as is shown in FIG. 15.

I claim:

1. In a receptacle, in combination,

a receptacle body having an upstanding rear wall,

and a cover member hingedly secured to said rear wall,

said rear wall being resilient and having an upper edge provided with an upwardly facing stirrup portion and a pair of downwardly facing saddle portions disposed on opposite sides of said stirrup portion and spaced therefrom,

said cover member being resilient and having a rear edge provided with a plurality of pintle pin portions received respectively in said stirrup portion and said saddle portions.

2. A molded plastic receptacle comprising, in combination,

a container including a rear wall having an upper edge provided with a substantially centrally disposed upstanding tab, an upwardly facing stirrup on the outer face of said rear wall below said tab, a pair of ears outstanding from said tab on either side of said stirrup and being complementary therewith to form an interrupted but substantially circular bearing surface,

a pair of saddles on the outer face of said rear wall disposed in spaced relation and on opposite sides of said stirrup,

a pair of cars outstanding from said rear wall on either side of each saddle below a respective saddle and being complementary therewith to form an interrupted but substantially circular bearing surface,

a cover having a rear edge provided with three notches in registry respectively with said stirrup and said saddles, a pintle pin bridging each of said notches and received in respective ones of said substantially circular bearing surfaces.

3. A molded plastic receptacle comprising, in combination,

a container including a rear wall having an upper edge provided with a substantially centrally disposed upstanding tab, an upwardly facing stirrup on the outer face of said rear wall below said tab, a pair of ears outstanding from said tab on either side of said stirrup and being complementary therewith to form an interrupted but substantially circular bearing surface,

a pair of saddles on the outer face of said rear wall disposed in spaced relation and on opposite sides of said stirrup,

a pair of ears outstanding from said rear wall on either side of each saddle below a respective saddle and being complementary therewith to form an interrupted but substantially circular bearing surface,

a cover having a rear edge provided with three notches in registry respectively with said stirrup and said sad dles, a pintle pin bridging each of said notches and received in respective ones of said substantially circular bearing surfaces, said rear edge of the cover having rearwardly projecting bosses on either side of each notch, and each pintle pin extending between a pair of such bosses such that the inner sides of said pintle pins are aligned substantially with said rear edge of the cover.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,637,460 5/1953 Yates 220-31 2,677,479 5/1954 Kibu 220-31 LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner. THERON E. CONDON, Examiner. J. B. MARBERT, Assistant Examiner. 

2. A MOLDED PLASTIC RECEPTACLE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A CONTAINER INCLUDING A REAR WALL HAVING AN UPPER EDGE PROVIDED WITH A SUBSTANTIALLY CENTRALLY DISPOSED UPSTANDING TAB, AN UPWARDLY FACING STIRRUP ON THE OUTER FACE OF SAID REAR WALL BELOW SAID TAB, A PAIR OF EARS OUTSTANDING FROM SAID TAB ON EITHER SIDE OF SAID STIRRUP AND BEING COMPLEMENTARY THEREWITH TO FORM AN INTERRUPTED BUT SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR BEARING SURFACE, A PAIR OF SADDLES ON THE OUTER FACE OF SAID REAR WALL DISPOSED IN SPACED RELATION AND ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID STIRRUP, A PAIR OF EARS OUTSTANDING FROM SAID REAR WALL ON EITHER SIDE OF EACH SADDLE BELOW A RESPECTIVE SADDLE AND BEING COMPLEMENTARY THEREWITH TO FORM AN INTERRUPTED BUT SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR BEARING SURFACE, A COVER HAVING A REAR EDGE PROVIDED WITH THREE NOTCHES IN REGISTRY RESPECTIVELY WITH SAID STIRRUP AND SAID SADDLES, A PINTLE PIN BRIDGING EACH OF SAID NOTCHES AND RECEIVED IN RESPECTIVE ONES OF SAID SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR BEARING SURFACES. 